Hearts and Soul
by teamjacob0729
Summary: Set in an AU, where Bella does not move to Forks. Jacob is married and his wife is gravely ill. They eventually meet. Rated M for language and for safety's sake. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.

**This is AU. Bella has not moved to Forks and she does not know Jacob, yet. I'm not going to share anything else yet. I'm going to ask that you read and let the story unfold.**

"Daddy, will I get to see Grandpa Billy when we live in the new house?" a curious 5 year old asks his dad, as he runs heavy duty tape over another box full of his toys.

Jacob looks at his son. The little guy had stolen his heart the moment he was born. His wide dark brown eyes were so carefree and loving. His little smile melted him every time.

"Not as often, buddy. But we'll still get to see him," he reassured him. Jacob continued taping boxes so they could finish packing up their stuff. They only had 2 more days before they were moving to Seattle. The pack would help him move everything this weekend. His wife was already there at Swedish Medical in their critical care unit. Jacob swallowed back his grief and kept packing.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he dropped everything to pull it out. He relaxed when the caller ID identified his sister, and not the hospital.

"Hey, Rach," he answered. "Are you on your way yet? JJ is ready for you to come get him and so am I. I have so much left to pack and he's slowing me down."

"Yes, sorry I'm running late. Leena was sleeping and just woke up. Paul's with me, if you want him to stay for a bit and help you out," she told him. A groan was heard in the background, presumably Paul, not real thrilled at being volunteered for work.

When they pulled up in front of Jacob and Christa's house, JJ was bouncing up and down calling out Leena's name happily.

"Leena! Leena!" he chanted over and over. As soon as Leena was freed from her car seat, she headed to see her cousin. She smiled big and her pacifier dropped into the dirt. She reached down to pick it up, but JJ grabbed it and told her to wait while he washed it off. He dashed into the house and carefully rinsed like he had seen his Aunt Rachel do before and then raced back out to give it to her.

"Tanks," she said after she popped it back into her mouth.

Jacob walked out and gave her head a pat, and hugged his sister.

"Paul," he greeted.

"Hey, Jake. How you holding up? I really am willing to stay and help for a bit," he said, reaching his hand out to shake his brother in law's hand.

"I feel like stuff is multiplying. Every time I make headway, I go in another room that looks like I haven't touched anything," he sighed, feeling frustrated at the stress of moving.

"Well, the girls are all coming over tomorrow, Jake. So it should go better then," Rachel said. She bent down to grab JJ's bag, but Paul beat her to it and carried it over to the truck. Paul leaned in and gave his wife a smooch before putting her in the truck.

"Be good for mom, Leena. You too, JJ," Paul told them as he shut the door for her. She drove off and Paul walked into the house behind Jacob.

"Let's get to it," Paul said, as he grabbed the tape dispenser and started putting boxes together. They worked in silence for a long time and got all of JJ's room packed, as well as the bathrooms and the guest room. The kitchen, living room, and master bedroom all needed to be finished. Jacob planned to leave everything that was in his garage because he wouldn't really have time to use it while in Seattle taking care of his family.

Quil stopped by with takeout and the three sat down at the kitchen table and ate in silence. After eating enough beef barbecue and fries to feed 6 normal teenage boys, Quil broke the silence.

"Have you heard from the nurses today?" he asked Jacob, wondering how Christa's day had been. She couldn't really talk with all of the heavy medication they had her on.

Jacob just shook his head in the negative and continued to stare down at his food. He'd eaten some, but wasn't eating as much as the others. It was too stressful with everything going on. He hated to be away from her when she was so sick, and he had a lot going on at the house in La Push. Of course, it wasn't easy going to a new place away from their families that helped them out all of the time. It was going to be him, JJ and Brady.

Brady was finishing up his last year of college in Seattle, and was going to live with Jacob. It was a mutually beneficial living situation. Brady got a free place to stay and he was going to help Jacob out with JJ. JJ was going to be starting kindergarten and there would be an extra adult around to pick him up or drop him off if they got the donor call.

If-no-Jacob refused to think of it as "if," but **when** he got the call, everyone would make their way to Seattle. He would need to go to the hospital immediately. It was going to work out well with Brady there.

Jacob sat staring out the window, lost in his private thoughts, as Quil and Paul cleaned up the trash from dinner and talked softly about work around him. They all ran a construction business together. Really, it was the easiest thing that worked for the pack. They needed a flexible schedule and a steady source of income.

Jacob would be able to have income while he was gone, but planned on finding a part time job in Seattle. Sitting around with nothing to do was not healthy. Of course, he couldn't get a job just anywhere with his wife's current situation. Ideally, he would do a "work from home" job.

He rubbed his hands over his face. Money wasn't nearly as important as getting Christa through this. What would he do without her? He loved her so much and she was the mother of his child. JJ would grow up without a mother if she didn't pull through.

After shaking it off, he turned and looked up. His friends' voices were coming from the master bedroom. He wandered in there to see them taking apart all of the bedroom furniture.

"Hey, guys. Thanks a lot. Sorry, I just spaced out there," Jacob apologized.

"We're family, right?" Paul said, as they continued working. "Why don't you go rest up on the couch? Call the hospital, check on Christa. We'll get all of the furniture taken apart that needs to be and stage it in JJ's room."

Slowly, Jake turned back toward the living room and sat on the couch. He took his phone out and stared at it. Not really sure what his irrational fear about calling was, he sat there without calling for a few moments. They would've called immediately if something went wrong, or if she came out of it and asked for him.

He swiped his phone and called the number to the nurses' station. All the while, in his head he's chanting, "please don't let Nurse Bitchy be on duty." He hated knowing that woman was there when he couldn't be with his wife.

"Nurses' Station, this is Janie," was the soft drawl on the other line. Immediately, he relaxed. If Janie was on duty, things were going well. The older lady was so sweet and grandmother like. Christa seemed so much better when she was there.

"Hi Janie, it's Jacob Black. I wanted to see how my wife was doing," he told her with a small smile on his face. He leaned back on the couch and crossed his leg over to rest his ankle on his knee.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Black. She's resting well," she continued on with all of her stats and a rundown of how her day went. "When do you guys get here? Saturday?"

"Yes, ma'am. I can't wait to be close by. It will be so much easier on all of us," he confessed. "I've got to get back to packing, but I wanted to check on her since I hadn't gotten a call today."

"It's been busy. I was going to call you as soon as we finished shift change. I'll be here tomorrow, but Saturday I'm off," she told him.

They said their goodbyes and Jacob put his phone on the coffee table. His wolf needed out and he could use the run. The back door slammed as he let it go, stepping out into the crisp night.

…..

It was finally moving day. JJ was excited about the big moving truck in the front yard. He kept running up and down the ramp and circling around the truck before running out and doing it all over again.

The pack stood around Jacob's kitchen eating the doughnuts Emily and Sam brought. Everything had been packed or taken apart to load onto the truck. Everyone would be here to help load the truck, but only a few of the guys would be at the house to help unload. Rachel, Paul, Leena and Billy were all going to help Jacob get settled in Seattle before they drove back. Paul was going to drive Jacob's car. Christa's car was in storage near Jacob's garage. She hadn't been able to drive it for a couple of months anyhow.

Things moved swiftly with all of the strong, muscled men to load everything into the truck. Jacob stood looking around at his empty house wondering how, at 25 years old, he ended up here.

He had met Christa after high school, after phasing, after taking over as Alpha of the pack. It took him almost no time to get used to his life as a wolf, but it took him a long time to accept that life as he knew it had changed.

Everyone had imprinted and it was believed that he never would. The Alpha would never need an imprint. In journals of past alphas, none of them had indicated they imprinted.

He met Christa one night at a bonfire. She was the friend of Seth's imprint and really pretty. She was smart too. They enjoyed their time together and she wasn't afraid to try anything once. The pack got great joy out of daring her to do things. Eat a pig's eyeball, jump off the cliff in her birthday suit, and tell Leah what she really thinks of her. The latter actually going over better than they all thought it would.

Christa was tall and had curves in every place that mattered. She had a short haircut, her straight black hair shaped around her face. But, to Jacob, he loved her eyes. They lit up her whole face and he could read her thoughts there. One look and he knew what she wanted, needed or was thinking about. She was amazed at his ability to read her.

Of course, she had fallen fast for the carefree young man she met at the beach that night. He had a smile that would light up the dark and make a crying baby silent. They started dating right away and got married in a whirlwind romance. The pack took an instant liking to her and there was no looking back. When JJ was born, their love just grew.

Even though they weren't an imprinted couple, they were easily accepted and eventually Jacob let Christa in on the big secret. She had been so shocked, she passed out. Jacob thought he killed her and almost started crying. When she came to and saw the tears in his eyes, she laughed and held him in her arms.

It didn't take her long to accept all of Jacob, including the wolf and alpha sides of him. She was a little more wary of the Cullens in town, but they didn't stay too long and they never spoke to her.

Embry slapped Jacob on the shoulder, and Jacob turned to look at him.

"Hey man, you've been in here staring at the wall for twenty minutes," he said, raising his eyebrows in a way that said he was worried.

"Sorry. I'm just sad about leaving this house. Christa and I designed it together. I'm trying to be positive we'll be back here soon, but I…I…I don't know what I'll do if she never gets to come back here," he said as the tears he was holding in spilled over and down his cheeks.

Embry wasn't sure what to say. They all knew how grave the situation was. He reached out and hugged his best friend. Jacob cried onto his friend's shoulder.

"What's this shit?" Quil mouthed off, as he walked in to break up the moment.

"Fuck you, Quil," Embry said, smacking him across the back of his head as he tried to escape.

Quil ran out of the room, rubbing his head. Jacob took a deep breath and walked outside to say goodbye to those who were staying behind. Hugs and tears were all around as they loaded the cars up and headed out of town.

JJ was really excited to be riding in the big truck. Jacob had strapped his car seat into the moving van's front seat.

"Ready, buddy?" he asked his son as he looked over at him and smiled.

"Yes! Daddy, this truck is big! I can see everything!" JJ replied excitedly.

Chuckling, Jacob reached over and stroked his son's face. He didn't think he could love another human being more. A horn honked signaling their caravan was on the move. Jacob checked all of the mirrors and shifted the truck into drive before easing off the break and ending the group of vehicles on its way to Seattle.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rated M for language

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

The caravan eventually made it to Seattle with a few stops along the way to give little JJ and Leena time to get out of their car seats. The wolves, of course, took the opportunity to snack on junk food and get a drink at every stop too.

Once they pulled in to the new house, JJ started clapping and cheering. Jacob was happy to be there, but he had to go see Christa. It was hard being away from his other half and it had been 4 days since he had seen her.

He walked up to the pack and his family. Before he could get a word out, Billy simply told him to go. They all understood. Jacob gave JJ a quick kiss to his head before he took off into the house following after Rachel and Leena.

Paul reached out and handed Jacob his car keys and told Jacob to give her their love.

"Don't worry, I will. Thanks so much, dude," Jacob told his brother in law.

Jacob headed for the hospital and walked in to the front desk to get a visitor's badge. As he walked into the elevator, he sucked in a breath and turned a bit to the side.

"Damn it," he thought as he got a whiff of Nurse Bitchy's shower gel. He really hated when she was here and he was hoping and praying that she wasn't Christa's nurse tonight.

As he stepped off the elevator and onto her floor, he headed toward Christa's room. In this unit, patients always had their own rooms because they were too sick to be near anyone else. The nurse to patient ratio was low as well. He stopped at the sink and scrubbed his arms and grabbed a gown to put over his clothes. It was absolutely critical that Christa not be exposed to viruses because she couldn't fight off an infection. Jacob took this very seriously.

He walked into her room and recognized the familiar sounds of the machines that were monitoring all her vital signs. She'd been here long enough that he knew what numbers to check and where they should be.

A chair was pushed up under the window, so Jacob hooked his foot into the leg and pulled it over next to the bed.

"Hey, babe," he said, as he grabbed her hand. He gently rubbed his fingers over the bruises on the back of her hand. They had to change her IV's every so often and it seemed that they had just moved them out of her left hand.

"We just got here with the moving truck. I couldn't wait to come see you. JJ misses you, but right now he's over the moon with the big truck," he chuckled as he filled her in on everything, as if she could hear him. No one was sure what she could hear with all of the pain medication she was being given. He figured if she could hear, he wanted to make sure she knew he was there.

"Don't worry, I reminded the guys if they broke any of your favorite pictures or dishes, that you'd kick their asses," he smiled. She really would have let them have it if she caught them breaking anything. It wouldn't have been the first time they goofed off and knocked something over.

Jacob leaned back in the chair that was three sizes too small for his large frame and relaxed with his wife's hand in his. He was exhausted and not just from packing up the house and moving up here.

As he sat there praying to every god he could think of for something to save her life, he heard feet shuffling his way. A nurse he recognized popped in and started checking things over. She was a nicer, middle aged woman with strawberry blond hair and Jacob had seen her before.

"Hi, Mr. Black," she said as she popped her gum in her mouth. "She's had an okay day. Had to change her lines, and it bruised as you can see. Her sats dropped a bit, but we've got her oxygen back up and steady. She's a fighter, but now that you're here, I can tell how relaxed she is. I know you talk to her, and I'm certain she hears you."

"Thanks, Maggie," he answered, always glad when there was someone compassionate around. Some of the nurses were just indifferent. He couldn't really blame them with the people that came and went around here. But it made his difficult situation harder to deal with.

"I'm going to get going soon. My family is here to help me and my son move into our house. So I've got to get back to make sure Christa's stuff is guarded. I don't want her worrying about my friends tearing up her stuff," Jacob shared.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be so careful. I wouldn't want to mess anything of hers up! She'd probably whip someone's behind!" Maggie laughed. "If anything changes, I'll call your cell. That okay?"

"Perfect, Maggie. Have a great night," Jacob said. He leaned up and stroked Christa's hair away from her face. It still choked him up to see the tubes and wires coming from her body. There just weren't words for seeing your loved one with a breathing tube, relying fully on a machine to keep them alive. Now they were waiting on the gift of life from a donor.

Once Maggie left, Jacob started whispering sweet nothings to Christa. He told her he would be back soon but he had to get back and make sure JJ ate and got settled in for bed. Being in a new house Jacob wasn't sure how JJ would do going to sleep. He assured her he loved her more than ever and that one day they would take that dream vacation to see all of the world's architectural wonders. He kissed her forehead, her cheek and last her hand before heading out, disposing of his yellow gown.

He swung by the nurses' station to let Maggie know he was leaving, and noticed a new nurse he hadn't seen before. Maggie waved and wished him luck on getting everything unpacked quickly.

When Jacob pulled his car onto his street, he could see the roll up door of the moving van was up and that the truck was empty. He glanced down at the clock and saw he'd been gone for 3 hours. They had worked hard while he was gone and he felt guilty for leaving them with his work.

"Dadddyyy!" he heard JJ yell out for him as soon as his car door open. Paul was standing in the garage with a smile on his face as he watched his nephew run out to the driveway.

"JJ, don't go in the road!" Paul called after him, reminding him to be careful. It was going to be a switch living in a neighborhood instead of the woods.

"Where's my big guy?" Jacob asked as he walked onto the driveway and held his arms out for his little one. He picked him up and carried him into the house. His eyes looked around and he was amazed at how much had been done inside.

"I hope it's ok; we tried to put things in the same places they were in your other house," Rachel said looking at him for affirmation.

"It's fine. If I insisted on putting everything away, it'd take me a couple of months to get things put away," Jacob answered.

It wasn't long before dinner was ordered and everyone sat outside on the back deck eating and chatting. They had worked together to reassemble beds and set furniture up. Jacob would work on hooking up the TV and stereo system after dinner. Everyone froze when Jacob's cell phone rang.

He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was the hospital. His heart skipped a beat as he swiped his thumb across the screen and answered. Everyone sat completely still and silent so that they could listen to the other person.

"Mr. Black?" a woman asked.

"This is him," he answered barely able to breathe.

"Hi, this is Bella. I'm your wife's nurse for the night. I wanted to call you with a report for the day, if now is a good time," she said, hesitantly.

A collective sigh was heard around the group. While they all wanted the donor call to come through, their worst fear had passed as well. No one wanted the call that she hadn't survived.

"Bella? Are you new? I don't recognize your name," he answered as he remembered noticing someone at the desk when left.

"Yes, I just started in the CCU today, but I've been working here for a few years. Did you want the report?" she reminded him the reason of her call.

"Oh, I was there a little over an hour ago. Has anything changed since then?" he asked her kindly.

"Not really. She was a little agitated about an hour ago, but if that was when you left, that could explain it. We gave her some more meds and she's been resting peacefully since. I'm here until the morning and then Janie will come on duty."

"Thanks so much for calling. I'll be there tomorrow," Jacob disconnected the call and went back to picking at his food.

…

After the move, everybody settled in to their new routines. Brady had been a great help with JJ and Jacob appreciated his pack brother's help around the house. Jacob wasn't a slob, per se, but Christa had kept after him before. Without her around to boss him around, it was too easy to slip back into his bachelor ways. Brady kept up with the dishes and reminded Jacob to pull laundry out of the washer. He'd pick JJ up from school and occasionally pick up groceries.

Jacob had found a job through one of the nurses at the hospital. Her husband ran his own business and needed someone to pack things for shipping. He understood Jacob's situation and let him come and go as he needed. Tom was just happy to have an extra set of hands to free up some of his time for other things.

One day while Jacob was at the hospital, her pulmonary doctor was coming through to examine her. She told Jacob that she was getting concerned about Christa's ability to absorb oxygen. They were getting to the point that she might get too sick to survive the needed transplant. There was only so much that could be done to help her since her disease was getting worse by the day.

After the doctor left, Jacob walked out into the hall and cried. He could not break down in the room when he still believed whole heartedly his wife could hear him. Standing there he heard shuffling shoes coming his way. A soft hand touched his arm and he jerked, feeling like he'd been electrocuted.

What the hell was that?

"I'm sorry that things seem worse, but I'm sure things will get better soon," the soft voice tried to reassure him.

Jacob kept his head down. He would _not_ make eye contact with this woman. His wife lay in a hospital bed practically near death, _according to the doctor_, and this was happening to him!

He cursed his heritage and his wolf. Damn them both.

Eventually, the nurse walked away from him when he didn't respond. Jacob wiped his eyes and headed over to the sink to scrub himself off.

"Christa, baby, I love you more than anything. I don't want you to give up. That doctor-she sucks. We aren't going to let her bring us down. We're going to win this fight. That's what we do. Right, babe?" he talked to her.

He lowered his voice before leaning in close to her ear, "I mean, I can kill vampires. At the very least, I can help you kick this disease's butt, right?"

While there, he kissed her ear gently. Her heart rate picked up a few beats and he laughed. "You still like that, do you?" So he kissed her again. Her heart rate continued to beat steadily.

"Don't you be disturbing my patient, Mr. Black," Nurse Bitchy cracked when she walked in the room. He internally groaned.

Fuck. Why her? And, why the hell did she work in a hospital? People here were already suffering as it was. Why did an employee of the hospital have to add to the stress? He simply ignored her. His wife was his priority and this girl needed to do her job and get out of the room.

"She's been resting well all day. Looks like we've got her oxygen at a good level. Her heart rate's been steady. Then, you get in here and her heart rate raises," Bitchy says.

"Even in her sleep, her heart beats for me," he answered and leaned up to kiss Christa's forehead. "I'm going to go get a drink and call home to check on our son. I'll let you finish up here, Beth."

That night, Jacob lay in his bed with a heavy heart. Christa had been in the hospital full time for two months now. She had been a regular visitor for a lot of her life having a lung disease, but things seemed under control for a long time. It was difficult for him to sleep, but he was glad her day with Nurse B was over. His nighttime report call was from the new nurse, Bella. She had just been coming in when Jacob had his meltdown outside Christa's room. He would be careful to avoid her in the future. This was awful timing, he thought.

His wolf was restless and he hadn't phased since they moved to Seattle. That probably wasn't a great idea, but he hadn't felt the desire to phase at all. Until tonight. Instead of getting up to run, he flopped around on the bed and finally dozed off.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Rated M for language**

**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate your favorites and follows.**

After a restless night of sleep, Jacob got up and decided to go see Christa. He didn't like worrying that she might not pull through at this point and it was important to him to be there as often as possible. He particularly hated that her nurse yesterday was one he felt like he didn't trust implicitly.

After peeking in on JJ, he walked into the kitchen to talk to Brady.

"Hey man, I've got this nagging feeling and I'm going to go to the hospital," he told his friend.

"No worries. I'll get JJ up for school and you let me know if you want me to pick him up," Brady assured him.

Jacob went back into his son's bedroom. He tucked the blanket back up and brushed his hand over his hair. Then he walked out and headed out.

As soon as he walked onto the floor of the hospital, Jacob could feel his wolf twisting around. He sighed. This was rubbing him wrong. He spent his whole wolf life thinking he would not imprint. His father and Old Quil had assured him and Christa it would never happen. But this feeling could not be ignored and Jacob knew his imprint was in the hospital.

He stepped up to the sink and washed his arms thoroughly before pulling the yellow, gauzy gown over his clothes. He stepped one foot inside the room and he could hear the young nurse, Bella speaking softly to his wife. His body stopped involuntarily. His pulse raced.

"So, your husband and son are closer to you now. I bet that makes you feel so much better knowing they are close. It's nice that your husband can be here for you. I'm not married, but one day I'd like to have a family. I've grown up with just my dad. My mom got remarried and moved to Florida when I was little. I couldn't leave my dad all alone. So, now I'm here, all by myself. My dad was a cop, but he got shot in the line of duty when I first started college. It was then I decided to be a nurse. Well, anyway, I really enjoyed being here tonight. I better get home and get some sleep. Bye, Christa," Bella finished, and turned to walk out of the room.

She looked up at Jacob's face and gasped when she saw him. Immediately, her face turned bright red. She was so embarrassed at her thoughts of the comatose patient's husband. He really was a very attractive man. He stood there gaping like a fish out of water and she tucked her chin onto her chest and walked out. Why did she have to get caught telling her life story? Hopefully, he had just walked into the room. He looked so upset that she was still there.

Jacob stood there trying to pull himself together. He had imprinted in the hospital room of his very ill wife. What the hell? After taking a few deep breaths, he strode over to the chair and sat down. He was disgusted at the feeling of happiness when he realized it was still warm from Bella's body.

Christa's hand lay limply by her side. Looking at the monitors, Jacob checked to see that things had been fine overnight. There was no way after that little event at the door he was going back out to see how things went. He could read the computers fine all by himself.

"Hey, babe. Making friends, are you? She seems like a nice nurse. I'm glad there are people here who care about you. It makes me feel better when I can't be here," he chatted to her.

It wasn't long before he dozed off with his head resting on the railing. It certainly wasn't a comfortable way to sleep, but he missed sleeping with her by his side. Her scent was comforting and now he felt guilty as hell that he'd imprinted.

A few hours later, Jacob woke with a horribly stiff neck. He stretched his arms up to the ceiling and turned his head to each side trying to work out the pain. It seemed the gift shop and cafeteria were next on his agenda.

"Be back in a bit, Christa. Gotta go get something to eat and a pain killer for my neck. But I slept better than I have in weeks with you by me," he kissed her forehead several times and looked over her lovingly.

Jacob grumbled after overpaying for a tiny bottle of ibuprofen in the gift shop. You'd think it was a bottle of gold or something. Then he went through the food line in the cafeteria. He loaded up with lunch and a drink on his tray and glanced around the room debating where to sit. Just as he looked toward the window, Bella looked straight at him. She smiled weakly and held her hand toward the empty chair in front of her.

Reluctantly, Jacob took the chair. He looked at Bella, who had a half cup of coffee sitting in front of her, and a book that looked like it had been read quite a few times.

"Hey, I'm Bella Swan. I'm sorry if you were upset how long I spent in Christa's room," her eyes shifted down to the table and she fiddled with her book. "I probably become too attached to my patients, but I like to talk to them as if they were awake. You never can be sure when they're conscious and I like to make them feel comfortable."

"It really is ok. I'm sorry if I came off any other way. I always talk to her, and I'm sure she can hear me," Jacob replied as he picked at his food. Now that he was here, he wasn't all that hungry. But the pain in his neck had grown, so he popped the pills and took a big gulp from his water bottle. He rubbed his hands over his neck and head.

"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively.

A breath gushed out of him as he contemplated his answer. His standard answer was always that he was fine. Whenever the pack or the other imprints asked, he was fine. But with her, he felt like he could open up. The damn imprint was loosening him up.

"I don't know. I knew when we got married that she had a progressive disease, but I guess I always thought it would get worse when we were a lot older. I worry every minute I'm not with her, and when I'm with her, I worry that we won't find a donor in time," he confessed to her.

"Tell me about her," Bella requested. Her big brown eyes were full of sincerity and Jacob gushed about his wife. How adventurous and fun loving she was, as well as how passionate she was about helping others. He ended with what a fantastic mother she was to their son, JJ.

"JJ?" Bella asked. "Is that Jacob Junior?"

"Sure is," he smiled, thinking about his precocious little boy. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He opened the pictures and showed her a few pictures of JJ, as well as some of Christa.

"They both look so happy. It seems she chose to live every moment to the fullest. I wish I could say that I have been that brave," she turned to the window and sipped her coffee.

"I don't know if she chose to do it or if it just happened. But this has been hard. My whole family, and I have a lot of close friends, all they want to do is help, but what can they do? None of them can give her a set of lungs, you know? I don't want to bring them down more, so I tell them I'm fine. I ask for help if I need it. My friend, Brady, is finishing up college here, so he helps out with JJ most of the time." Finally, Jacob took a few bites of his sandwich and fruit salad. He offered the chocolate chip muffin to Bella and she took it and pulled it apart before eating it.

Jacob chuckled as he watched her eat the muffin. It was exactly how Christa ate a muffin and he liked to tease her about it.

"What?" she asked.

"That's how my wife eats muffins too. We have a joke because she said it isn't her fault that I can fit 3 whole muffins in my big mouth at once," he laughed.

"Three? That's pretty impressive. You're lucky you haven't choked eating like that," she smiled as she continued to eat little pieces of the food.

"Well, I guess me and my big mouth better get back upstairs. You ought to get home and get that sleep you talked about," he said, standing with his tray in hand.

"You're right. I just hate going home to an empty apartment," she said as she looked away embarrassed at her loose lips. She seemed to tell this man anything that came to her brain without censoring herself at all.

"I'm sorry to hear about that. Thanks again for the chat," he waved a little as he dumped his trash and turned away.

It didn't take long for this to become a daily routine for the 3. When Bella worked, Jacob would come in and hear her talking to his wife about anything and everything. She talked to Christa about her life growing up, the daily news happening around the world, about her life as a nurse and the patients that drove her crazy. Jacob would sit with Christa for a few hours before heading down for lunch and a chat with Bella before she headed home alone.

Brady was the first to comment on the change in his friend, as he was the one who saw him the most.

"You've been more cheery lately. Things changing at the hospital?" he asked innocently.

The question took Jacob off guard. It made him realize that his talks with Bella had helped him to get his worries off his chest. It also made him feel truly guilty. While his wife lay dying on a hospital bed, he was becoming closer to his imprint.

"Naw, man. Just trying to stay hopeful and keep things looking up for JJ," Jacob told him.

The next weekend, Paul and Rachel were coming up with Billy to visit. He was glad because he hadn't been home with JJ as much as he wished he could. There was no way JJ could see Christa in the hospital laying in a hospital bed. He wasn't old enough to understand and that was hard on Jacob as well. Grandpa Billy would be a great distraction as well as having Leena here to play with.

Paul went with Jacob to see Christa, and Jacob made sure they went a little later to try to avoid running into Bella. She knew that his family was coming this weekend, and he didn't think she'd attempt to talk to him.

As Jacob and Paul headed into Christa's room, Janie popped in to say hi.

"Oh, and Jacob, Bella said she'd be in the cafeteria if you wanted to stop for a cup of coffee," she told him as she left after adjusting things and checking on Christa.

Jacob swallowed thickly, nodded, and walked straight to Christa. He had told her that he talked to Bella, but knowing that she was heavily sedated made it feel like he was keeping the truth from her.

Paul raised his eyebrows at Jacob, but thankfully didn't say anything. They stayed for a while and talked about things going on back on the rez. Jacob lightly ran his hand up and down Christa's arm as they joked and chatted.

Eventually, Jacob's stomach rumbled. He patted it and laughed. "Guess, I need to get some grub."

"Why don't we go down and see this Bella that's waiting for you?" Paul suggested with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

"She is one of the night nurses, Paul. We've talked about Christa and JJ. She talks to Christa, treats her like a person that will come out of this alive," Jacob said, returning with a slightly defensive tone.

Momentarily, Jacob panicked in the elevator. He was worried Paul was going to figure everything out with one look.

They got their coffee and some snacks. Before Jacob could find a different place to sit, Bella waved them over. Paul headed that direction first and set his things on the table, and then introduced himself to Bella. Bella seemed a bit intimidated by Paul but held her own. She took the book she was reading and slid it into her bag. Jacob caught a glance of it before it went in and he saw Native American traditions. He'd have to ask her about that later.

"So, Bella, you enjoy talking to my friend, Jake, here do you?" Paul asked, a hint of attitude that Jacob picked up on. He kicked him lightly under the table to shut him up.

"Well, Paul, I enjoy my patient, Christa. Since she can't talk to me right now, I've learned all about her from Jacob. I'd like to think that I've helped the both of them with a very difficult time," Bella answered looking directly into Paul's eyes, before shifting them and looking softly at Jacob.

"Thanks for meeting me for coffee. I'm glad your family is here for the weekend," Bella stood and walked to Jacob's side of the table. "I'm heading to my mom's in Florida for a few days. Here's my cell number. If anything happens, or you need to talk, please feel free to call me." She slipped him a receipt with her name and number on it. Jacob thanked her and put it in his wallet.

"Have a good time with your mom and Phil," Jacob said.

After she walked away, Paul didn't waste a second before grilling his brother-in-law and alpha.

"What in the motherfucking hell has happened here?" his voice low, but caustic. "You and this little nurse are getting all cozy while your wife is upstairs dying?"

"Paul, it is not like that. I needed somebody to talk to and she understands a lot about Christa's situation. She's been nothing but supportive," Jacob stood straight as he looked right at Paul.

"If it was nothing, then why did both of your heart beats accelerate when we walked into the same room? Explain that, Jake," Paul commanded.

"Paul, please. Let this go and know there is nothing going on. I love Christa. I love her deeply and I am not looking to replace her. I want to bring her home from this place, happy and healthy," Jacob pleaded.

"If you had thrown that phone number away, I might believe you," Paul snapped as he headed out the doors of the hospital to the parking lot. Jacob followed him out the door and neither of them spoke on the way home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Rated M**

**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows. It really means a lot to me. Hope this explains your concerns from Ch3.**

That night, Jacob lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Over and over in his mind, he played back the cafeteria conversation in his mind. He knew he had a guilty conscience for having imprinted on Bella, but was it obvious to his brother-in-law? It couldn't have been. They barely spoke for 5 minutes and nothing out of the usual happened between them. He flopped over and stared at the wall. He was at a loss with what to do with the situation.

He could hear Paul and Rachel whispering in the guest room. It was getting a little louder and they were clearly trying to keep it too low for him to hear.

"What is your deal, Paul? Ever since you guys got back, you and Jacob haven't said a single word to each other," Rachel asked.

"I don't know. Something happened at the hospital. We met one of Jake's friends. A nurse. A nurse who happens to be young, and really pretty. She's all friendly with Jake, I guess. I mean, Christa's your sister-in-law, and the mother of my nephew. While Christa lays there day in and day out fighting for her life, Jake is off making buddy/buddy with one of the nurses," Paul said.

"Is my brother not trustworthy all of the sudden? Isn't he allowed to have someone to confide in?" she defended her brother.

"Why can't he talk to us? He always tells us he's fine. Why does he need to air it out to some stranger at the hospital?" Paul fired back.

"Oh? So this is about you? Why isn't Jake coming to you with his problems?" she retorted. "Really, Paul? Please tell me that is not what you are getting at!"

"Of course not. I don't know. I guess it sounds dumb when you say it like that. I should apologize to Jake for reacting like that. Me being a jerk at the hospital is the last thing he needs right now," Paul answered, feeling like a big fat jerk.

Jacob was relieved to hear their discussion. The pathetic part was Paul should've been mad at him, only he didn't know why. The conversations they had been having lately were getting more personal. As much as Jacob would like to deny the truth in that, he couldn't.

Turning to the other side, Jacob curled up with Christa's pillow and finally went to sleep.

In the morning, Paul set out to make things right with Jacob first thing.

"Hey man, sorry I was an ass yesterday. That was a jerk move, especially at the hospital," Paul apologized, holding his hand out to shake with Jacob.

"I understand. She's a nice person, and she's really helped a lot," Jacob said, as he reached around and hugged Paul instead.

"Ugh. Get off me," Paul smiled, as he pushed away from Jacob and headed into the kitchen to pester Rachel while she made breakfast.

"Paul, touch me again while I'm cooking and that'll be the last time," Rachel laughed.

Jacob leaned against the door jamb and smiled at them. JJ and Leena were sitting at the table, Leena in her high chair. JJ hopped up and headed over to give Jacob a big hug and a syrupy kiss.

Discreetly, Jacob wiped the sticky kiss away and hugged his son.

"Daddy, can you give mommy a big kiss from me and tell her how much I miss her. Also, don't tell her that Uncle Paul knocked over her pretty white vase and broke it last night, cuz he told me not to tell anybody," JJ said with bright eyes.

All of the adults laughed, as Jacob promised to let mommy know. Then he walked over to hug Rachel, and give Paul a punch to the arm.

"Take it easy on my house, P. Jeez!" Jacob rolled his eyes and headed out the door.

As he sat in the car, he contemplated taking out his phone and texting Bella to see if she'd arrived safely in Florida. He decided against it, and put the shifter in reverse.

His phone rang a few minutes later. He answered without looking at the screen.

"Is this Mr. Black?" the woman asked.

"Yes, this is him," he answered.

"This is Beth from Swedish Medical," she answered. He rolled his eyes. He knew what hospital she was from for crying out loud. "Christa is not doing well. You probably want to come to the hospital right away. We're having a difficult time stabilizing her oxygen levels."

His heart rose in his throat. Oh god. Not today, not now.

"I'm already on my way there," he choked out and dropped the phone into the cup holder. It only took him several more minutes to pull into the parking lot before he ran past the desk. He was there so often whoever was at the desk had to know who he was there to see. If not, he'd sort that out later. His only priority was upstairs suffering.

Impatiently, he waited outside her room. When there was an issue such as this, only hospital personnel were allowed in the room. He would be ready to go in the room the moment they let him.

He texted his family, and some of the pack. He finally swallowed and pulled Bella's number out from his wallet. Right as he tapped her number in, Janie came out of the room.

"Jacob, she's okay. Somehow her breathing tube slipped out of place. It's good now," she reassured him, as she reached out and patted his shoulder. She stepped to the side as a portable machine was wheeled out of the room. Jacob wondered what it was but didn't really care if it meant he could go in to see Christa. He turned his body in the chair, to peer into the room. He looked back at Janie, seeking permission with his eyes.

"Give the rest of the team time to come out and then you can go in," she said.

"Thanks so much," he said sincerely.

He had already began the text to Bella, so he went ahead and finished it off.

**Hi, this is Jake. Just had a scare. Everything's good now.**

A few more people walked out and then the pulmonologist headed out to talk to him about all that had happened. Jacob's head buzzed with all of the words he said. He felt as though the man was speaking a foreign language. He kept asking Jacob something, but Jacob just felt confused and puzzled. He looked around for Janie, maybe she could help him.

The next moment, Jacob slipped to the floor. Rachel had just walked in the double doors with Paul. They both ran to him, as the doctor reached down to check him out, while calling out for assistance.

"Oh my gosh! What's happened?" Rachel asked panicked as to why she just witnessed her brother passing out. He texted and said something had come up so they rushed right here leaving the kids with Billy and Brady. Had something horrible happened? "Jake? Jake? Are you ok?"

Jacob opened his eyes and looked around him, a bit confused as to how Paul and Rachel were here and why he was laying on the ground.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You fainted, I guess, little brother. Thanks for scaring the crap out of me! How's Christa?" she asked, not wasting another moment now that he was awake.

"She's ok. Her breathing tube slipped and they had to fix it. The doctor was talking to me and all of the sudden, I couldn't understand a word he was saying. It was really weird," Jacob admitted. He took a deep breath and started to get to his feet. Paul reached out to steady him and help him into the chair.

Janie rushed over with a couple of juices and water bottles for him. She watched over him and made him get plenty to drink, then asked him a few questions about his breakfast and dinner the night before. Jacob hung his head and admitted he had skipped breakfast and had eaten only part of his dinner.

She walked away and came back with an apple and banana for him to eat. "A big guy like you burns a lot of calories. You can't neglect yourself. Christa wouldn't want you to," she said, with a motherly tone to her voice.

They all scrubbed themselves before heading into the room. Usually there was a 2 person visitation rule, but it seemed they were ignoring that for the time being. No one was sure how much longer Christa could fight.

A little while later, Rachel got a text from Brady that Leena wouldn't calm down. So she and Paul left Jacob with the promise that they'd be right back if anything changed.

Jacob leaned back in his chair and took his phone out of his pocket. It felt like he'd gotten a thousand texts from various pack members and imprints. They were obviously all in contact because the most recent texts from them all said how glad they were to hear things were all right.

The last text Jacob read was from Bella. It said she had called and talked to Janie and was glad things seemed to be okay. She told him he could call her anytime if he needed to talk and she already missed their coffee chat time. Her mother's coffee was something compared to even the hospital's coffee, she'd said. She sent a few more texts saying that she'd arrived safely in Florida and had finished reading a very interesting book on the Quileute on the plane ride.

Jacob chuckled at that message. He didn't know what legends and traditions she had read about, but he highly doubted that she'd believe the reality of it all. Especially that he shifted into a wolf and was the alpha of the pack. Moreover, he had imprinted on her and that according to their histories and legends, she was his soulmate.

Looking at Christa, he wondered how this could be true. He still loved her just as much as he did on their wedding day. His heart ached knowing that their lives together could end much too soon.

Gently, he rested his head on her stomach and looked up at her rising chest. If it weren't for the miracle of modern medicine, she wouldn't be alive right now. Now he was depending on a bigger miracle to save her life. Even if she did get the lung transplant, it wasn't a quick fix. He turned his face and nuzzled his nose against her. Then he stood, planted a lingering kiss to her forehead before walking out the door.

Jacob went to the cafeteria and loaded a plate with the lunch buffet. He made sure to get a variety of food. Janie was right, he needed to keep himself in good shape for Christa. There was no way he could drop like a fly every time he got stressed.

While he sat eating at his and Bella's usual table, he contemplated that he had a "usual table." It certainly seemed odd, but there were plenty of other employees and patients that had their own spots as well. Whatever. He liked this spot by the window. He could see what was going on, and he liked the pretty trees. It wasn't a forest or anything like home, he was in Seattle after all.

He pulled his phone out and went ahead and called Bella.

"Jake, how are you?" she asked, picking up on the first ring.

"I'm ok. Sitting at our table, eating lunch," he said.

"Good. It's a while past lunch time though. I heard Janie gave her part of her snack since you passed out of the floor. I told you that you need to take better care of yourself," she chastised him gently.

"I know, I know. I didn't sleep real great last night, and Paul &amp; I rushed out of here last night, so I wanted to hurry and get back," he responded. "I've eaten plenty of food for lunch and I included all of the food groups too."

"Okay. I'm proud of you. You're such a good boy," she laughed, as she teased him, feeling a little bad for getting on him like that.

He laughed back and without thinking ate more of the food on his plate. They talked about her trip and how her visit was going with her mother. She had told him before that she and her mom weren't real close. After growing up with her father, Charlie, they never really grew too close. She loved her mom, but it wasn't an effortless relationship.

Her voice was calming to him and when she was with him, he didn't worry so much about Christa. He looked down to grab another grape, and realized that all of his food was gone. He was surprised at this.

Jacob's phone beeped indicating he was getting an incoming call. He pulled the phone away a little and looked at the caller ID. It said the hospital was calling.

"Bella, I've got to go, somebody's calling me from here," he said and then immediately switched the call.

"I'm in the cafeteria," he said without preamble.

"Get up here," was the simple response.

He dashed out of the room and up the stairway to Christa's floor. Again he had to sit and wait in sheer terror outside of her room. People sprinted into her room not long after he had heard the "code blue" called. That was a first, but he wasn't in the hospital before when things had gone awry.

He stayed out of the way, but paced the halls. The conversations in the room were too much for him to take, so he tuned them out. He texted Rachel and said, "Get here. I'm not texting anyone else." Inside, he was so frantic that he couldn't get his shaking fingers to tap the right buttons. It felt like his fingertips were the size of quarters and the buttons the size of pinhead.

His phone buzzed with an "ok" from Rachel and then again with a text from Bella.

**On my way to airport. Praying for you both.**

He wanted to tell her not to come, but it was only a day and he already felt edgy without her nearby.

It was about 20 minutes of pure agony before Rachel and Paul arrived to sit with him.

Paul stood outside the door to listen in on the conversation about Christa. It seemed she had taken a turn for the worse and they were trying to figure out how to make sure she was absorbing the oxygen they were giving to her. They could no longer increase the amount she was being given through her tube.

It was at least an hour later, that people began slowly trickling out of the room. Janie had stopped to give Jacob a hug.

Finally, the last person came out and told them they could come back in. All of the equipment surrounding Christa had changed. The woman explained to Jacob patiently all about the exchange of gases in Christa's lungs, and how due to her disease, it wasn't happening like it would with healthy lungs. The tubes Christa was hooked up to breathed for her. They pumped in the oxygen and pumped out the carbon dioxide. But the lungs had to do the work to convert the gases. Unfortunately, that wasn't happening right. It would only be a matter of time before things became worse. No one was sure how long it would be before that process halted altogether.

Even though inside Jacob wanted to sit in that chair and cry for hours, he was able to pull himself together to talk to his wife.

"Babe, you really scared the crap out of me. I hope you're okay. You can't leave us," he sniffled. "Who will keep me on my toes? Who will chase after me to stop being a slob?" Silently, the tears poured out of his eyes. He looked up at Paul and Rachel standing on the other side of the bed. He seemed shocked at first they were there, but then wiped his eyes and grabbed a tissue to blow his nose.

"I need one of those too," Rachel said, reaching over Jacob to grab a tissue from the box.

"What will I do without her?" he asked.

"We've still got her, Jake. We're not letting her give this fight up, or you either," Rachel reassured him. She walked around the bed and hugged him tightly. Paul stood behind her and held his warm hands on her hips.

"We're a family, Jake. No matter what," Paul said, the sound of residual sniffles in his voice as well. Jacob and Christa were like a brother and sister to him and he was so sad to watch his wife and them both go through all of this heartache.

Eventually, Paul and Rachel headed off for the night. The hospital had brought in a vinyl recliner for Jacob to use, so he could stay the night with Christa. He leaned back and got as comfortable as possible in the much too small chair. A man that was 6'4" didn't really do so well in a recliner this size. He sighed, at least it was better than the office chair that had been in here before. His fingers lightly laying on top of Christa's as he dozed off.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rated M

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

**I'm not a nurse so any medical stuff is from my personal hospital experiences, where I spent over a month on complete bed rest with my twins, who then spent 3.5 weeks in the neonate unit, and my mom who spent 14 days in critical care after having a brain bleed. There was always a nurse I felt could be friendlier, so Nurse B was my throw out to them. Sorry if there are technical errors…**

**It's going to get sadder before it gets happier.**

Jacob woke feeling like he was being watched. He sat up with a gasp and looked right at Christa. Of course, she was sleeping peacefully. His fingers gently brushed over her eyebrows and down the side of her face. Thankfully, nothing exciting happened over night. Standing and stretching his body fully, Jacob told Christa he'd be back in just a minute. With bleary eyes, he walked out to the visitor restroom.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he realized he looked like shit. The bags under his eyes had transformed to duffle bags and the whites were bloodshot. He splashed some water from the sink over his face and cupped his hands to rinse his mouth out. Finally, he relieved himself and washed his hands before walking over to the nurses' desk to see who was working this morning.

He was surprised to find Bella sitting there in jeans and a sweater with a large white paper bag in front of her. She smiled when she saw him, and held the bag up with a question in her face.

"I brought breakfast. I figured you'd be here and wouldn't want to go down to the cafeteria to eat. We don't need another patient that keeps passing out from starving himself," she giggled.

Jacob smiled a small, but appreciative smile. She was right, he had no plans of heading downstairs. Of course, he wasn't allowed to eat in the room, so he nodded his head toward the two chairs that were outside the glass windows of Christa's room. After he grabbed the bag, Bella stood and brought two cups of coffee with her.

"I got real coffee for us. You can't keep drinking that stuff downstairs. It's just gross," she said, handing him a Starbucks cup. He inhaled appreciatively and took a tentative sip.

"I can't believe you were able to catch a flight back already. You didn't need to leave your mom's, you know," he said to her, but feeling more peaceful that she was here. He reached into the bag and grabbed a pastry handing it to Bella. She pushed it back toward him.

"That's for you. I already ate while you were asleep," she reassured him.

"Thanks so much. I've got to call Paul and Rachel soon," he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"I'm sure your sister knows you would call her if anything changed. Eat first, then call. Okay?" she suddenly realized she was bossing him around again. "I'm sorry, you don't need me to nag you."

"Hey, it's fine. Since Christa can't stay on me, somebody has got to do it. I do need to take care of my health. Now that she's having issues, I don't want to leave here longer than I have to," he said, as he finished the sweet in two bites.

"Now I see what Christa meant," she laughed.

Jacob gasped at her comment. "What?" he stuttered out.

"Oh no. Jeez. What you told me she said about how big your mouth is," she turned red with embarrassment, then reworded it. "Oh my goodness, I meant how much you can eat at once. Remember, she said you can fit 3 muffins in at once."

He laughed. He'd forgotten about that. He'd wondered how she had talked to Christa.

"I see what you mean," he leaned closer to her and said, "but I've never tried to get 3 in at once."

She smiled widely at him, and looked down at her coffee. He was a beautiful man, and she was saddened at the current situation. Why she was here with him, she couldn't understand. She'd been a nurse for quite some time, and she had never felt compelled to get to know any of her patients or families this way. She was almost ashamed of herself. She felt drawn to him and she couldn't explain it.

"I better get home and get some things done. I have to call my mom after I rushed out of there so quickly. I gave her the short version and promised I would explain it all after I got back," Bella stood and looked at Jacob. His dark brown eyes held so much emotion, she quickly looked away.

"Thanks again for breakfast. It really means a lot. Rachel just sent me a text and said she was on her way. She said she'll stay here while I go home to shower and see JJ," Jacob told her, trying to recapture that eye contact. "We plan to have someone here around the clock to stay with her. Her parents are flying in as well from Colorado."

"It's a good plan. It's so good for patients to have someone here for them," she said sadly, looking in at Christa, feeling so much empathy for Jacob and his family. Her father's loss was so sudden and heart wrenching. Now he was here, watching her slowly die. She wasn't sure which was harder because neither was easy.

Family members came and went to stay with Christa and Jacob. His sister made sure he had food and went home to see JJ. Brady was managing most of Billy and JJ's care at home, but the pack members took turns helping out as well, so Brady didn't miss school.

Jacob had come out of the shower and was walking into the kitchen wearing only a pair of jeans. JJ was sitting at the table drawing a picture. Jacob leaned over him and complimented his drawing.

"Hey, buddy. Can we talk?" Jacob asked, dreading this conversation.

"Sure, daddy. I've missed you. You've been at the hospital a lot. I'm glad Grandpa Billy, and Leena have been here though. When is Mommy coming home? I miss her and we haven't read my favorite story in so long," JJ looked up at Jacob earnestly.

Jacob swallowed back the tears. He was dreading this conversation even more.

"Remember when we talked with Mommy about her lungs and how she breathes?" he asked. JJ nodded remembering how they said mommy's breaths were getting hard for her, and that the hospital had machines to make it easier for her.

"Well, the things is," he looked in his son's eyes, "those machines aren't helping as much as they should. Mommy is having a real hard time breathing. We're worried about her."

"Why can't the doctors give Mommy new lungs? Like you give houses a new roof when they don't work right anymore," he said with the innocence of a young child.

"Well, we're hoping that they can. But right now, they don't have the right parts Mommy needs," Jacob answered, trying hard to keep it simple, but honest.

"I know you can do it, Daddy. You can fix anything," JJ smiled and went back to his drawing.

Jacob leaned forward and grabbed his son in a big hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You are one awesome kid. I love you."

JJ looked at his dad and said, "I love you, too."

Later that night, Jacob sat outside of the hospital on a bench staring off into the night. Christa's parents had arrived and he was giving them time to be with her privately. The nurses promised to call his cell phone if anything changed. He knew his in-laws would call him as well. They didn't have a close relationship, but they got along fine. Jacob's relationship with his pack and family was extremely close and he didn't think any other family would ever understand that closeness.

He was lost in thought thinking of what the future was going to bring him. Christa had told him before they got married if anything ever happened to her, she wanted Jacob to move on. Jacob had blanched at her statement. He couldn't imagine himself being with anyone but her. Now he'd imprinted on one of her nurses. At first, he'd cursed the idea. He'd wanted to yell at the woman and tell her to get away from him and his wife.

Instead, he'd gotten to know someone who was very lonely. Someone that was very kind and thoughtful, not just to him, but to his wife and her other patients and families. She had been a gift to him at a very difficult time in his life. He was thankful to have someone that understood his grief, his hope and his frustrations.

It wasn't long before he felt someone sit down beside him. He didn't even have to look to know it was Bella. He'd realized he could feel when she was near if he was paying attention and he knew her scent as well.

"You okay?" she asked, looking out at the trees.

"I don't know to be honest," he said, sniffling a little. He hadn't broken down in front of anyone except his sister and Paul. He sat, letting the tears stream down his face.

Bella scooted over and reached out and grabbed Jacob's hand. He squeezed his hand around hers. His phone chirped and he reached with his free hand to pull his phone out. It was a text from his father-in-law. It said everything was okay, but Jacob could come back up. They were going to head out to find a hotel room and settle in for the night.

Jacob told Bella he was going to go. She offered to come back up with him and sit. He thanked her, but said he was okay for now. He promised he'd call her if he needed to talk.

In Christa's room, Jacob lay back in the crappy recliner covered with a scratchy white blanket and surrounded by plastic covered pillows. He was having a hard time getting comfortable, but eventually was able to go to sleep.

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes. He was surprised to see Christa standing over him, smiling, looking beautiful and healthy. He startled and his heart raced.

"Babe, it's okay. It's just me," she smiled and caressed his beloved face with her hand. Jacob reveled in the feeling. He had missed her voice and touch.

"What's going on?" he asked, confused.

"Jacob, I know. It's okay. You don't have to feel guilty over your imprint. This is the way it was meant to be," she said, still standing, looking so happy.

"What? How do you know? I haven't told anyone. I'm not supposed to imprint," he said, feeling groggy and heavy, like his limbs were numb and he couldn't move.

"It's okay, Jake. I will always love you, and I know how much you love me. You are an amazing father, and JJ will need you," she continued. Then she reached out with both hands and ran them through his hair. "You should get your haircut too. I need you to take care of yourself. Promise me that you will."

"I promise, baby. I'll take care of all of us," his voice cracked. This felt like good-bye and he couldn't stand it. He didn't want to say good-bye to her. He wanted her to come home, so he told her that.

"Home is wherever you are, Jake. My home is in your heart. Remember that always," she said.

Suddenly, Jacob jerked awake. The sound of alarms in the room and feet rushing his direction could be heard. He turned to Christa, and put the pieces together.

"No! Babe, no! Fight, Christa, keep fighting. Don't you dare give up," he pleaded, tears streaming down his face. He was tangled in the blanket and his face still felt warm from where he was sure she had touched him.

_Thoughts?_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Rated M for language and S for sad

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Somehow the code team had revived Christa. She was hanging by a thread and a social worker had come to talk to a shell shocked Jacob about making choices for his wife. He was designated as her health care advocate. They wanted to know if he was ready to move her to another facility for her end of life care. Somewhere during this one way conversation, Bella had shown up and sat by his side, calmly holding his hand.

His family, her parents and a few pack members-Embry, Quil and Seth, all milled around to give Jacob space. Christa told her parents several years ago, in no uncertain terms, that the decisions at the end of her life would be up to her husband. She loved them, but he knew her heart.

He was not yet ready to give up. Even though he'd had that dream about her. It felt so real, and she looked so healthy and beautiful.

Abruptly, Jacob stood up and said, "I need some air."

He walked out of the hospital and walked around outside. It was pitch black and the middle of the night, but he really didn't care.

Bella had followed him. "It's a little scary out here at night."

"Nobody will fuck with me right now. I'm so pissed at the world, I could spit nails," he ranted. Of course, he felt bad immediately. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to take it out on you."

"Can I tell you something?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Of course you can," he turned to look at her. She was biting her lower lip, and twisting her hands nervously.

"I never really talked to you about that book I read on your culture. But, in it, it talked about your beliefs about spirits and the after-life. I don't know how much you believe or anything. And believe me, I know how crazy what I'm about to tell you is going to sound," she said, delaying what she wanted to say.

He sensed her hesitation and walked closer to her. He put his hands on either shoulder, and told her to take her time. He would listen when she was ready, and that she would be shocked at the amount of crazy he could take.

"Well, tonight, your wife came to me in a dream," she looked away, nervous about how he would react. She heard his gasp and then looked anyway.

"What did she say to you?" Jacob asked, stunned.

"You believe me?" she responded.

"Of course, I do. Tell me what she said, and then I'll tell you a few things," he answered.

"Well, she said that you are an amazing husband and father," she cleared her throat and wiped her misty eyes. "She is worried how you will handle her loss. She said you are an important member of your tribe and that they will need you, and you will need friends. She also told me thank you for treating her with such care."

Then she chuckled before finishing, "She also told me to let you know to lighten up on Beth because when you aren't around, she treats her fine. She thinks Beth has a crush on you."

He laughed. He knew his wife could hear everything while she was there. Jacob paced around a little absorbing all of this and wondering how much he should tell Bella. He swallowed and decided it was time.

"I'm not sure what legends and traditions were in that book you had, but I'm sure there are some that weren't. Some legends are actually truths and very secret. Did you read anything about how my tribe cherishes wolves? That we believe they are protectors?" he looked at her face.

"Yes, it included that," she said softly.

"Well, the part that isn't in there, is that it's real. I can shift into a wolf. I am the alpha of the pack. That's why I'm so close to all of the guys that come in here," he sighed. Bella had not flinched at all when he revealed this information. "Do you ever notice how you feel drawn to be near me?"

She blushed and turned away slightly. It was kind of embarrassing to tell a married man that she felt an intense connection to him. "Yeah, I do," was her almost too quiet reply.

"Well, there's this thing called imprinting. My wolf imprinted on you. In our traditions, imprinting means that we are soulmates. Although, all of the journals and histories said the alpha would never imprint. So, I don't really know what's happened with that," he finished.

He heard a gush of air and a soft "wow" come out of her mouth.

"They really did leave out a lot, huh?" she smiled slightly. "That explains some things. But, Jake, I really want you to know that I would never want to interfere in your marriage. I wouldn't want to get between you and your wife."

"I know you wouldn't. The other thing I've got to tell you is Christa appeared in a dream to me tonight as well. Right before she coded. She gave us her blessing," his eyes teared up as he thought about his wife's loving message. "She knew all about imprinting. Paul and Rachel are imprinted and a few other of the wolves."

"That's a lot to take in, but I've just wanted to be here for you. I felt like you needed a friend and someone who was willing to stand by you and your decisions for her. I also felt drawn to her and I wanted to take care of Christa too," Bella said.

"Jake, you are an amazing person. I feel truly blessed to have met you and your family. My life here has been lonely and I felt like I didn't really have a purpose. It has given me purpose to be here for you and now I understand why. Thank you so much for that. You've been there for me too."

"Anyway, I'm glad that Christa is still fighting. I need to go home and try to get some sleep. Call me if anything changes. I'll be back here as soon as I can," she reached up to hug him and he leaned down to hug her back.

He went back into the hospital with a new resolve. Jacob told the social worker he wasn't ready to give up the fight. He may change his mind soon, but that's how he felt. Christa's parents were sitting with her.

"Hey, I'm gonna run home and grab a shower, check on JJ. I'll be back soon, okay?" he said.

Her mom stood and gave Jacob a big hug. "We'll be here. You don't need to rush. Thank you for taking such good care of our baby."

Jacob brushed the tears away from his eyes and walked out of the room. He drove home in a bit of a trance, but snapped out of it. The first thing he did after getting in the house was walk into JJ's room to check on him. Leena was sleeping in the portable crib on the other side of the room. He leaned down to give his son a light kiss, and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

A long, hot shower was what Jacob needed then. He had already washed his hair and body. Eventually, he picked the razor up and began shaving his face. When he got out of the shower, he looked in the mirror and pulled at his hair. It was getting pretty shaggy. He'd get it cut soon like Christa asked, but today wasn't going to be that day.

The phone rang as he was getting dressed. Rachel answered it and even though she wasn't talking loud at first, her cheering could've been heard by the neighbors.

Jacob yanked his clothes on and ran out the door to see what the fuss was all about. Clearly, it was good news for 3 o'clock in the morning.

"They have a donor! They have a donor! Let's go, Jake!" she laughed and grabbed her brother by the arm.

Rachel ran to the driver's seat, so Jacob climbed into the passenger seat and slid the seat all the way back. Once Rachel started driving, he took his phone out and sent a text to his dad. Then he called Bella. It went to voicemail, but he figured she would wake up and check the messages and head to the hospital.

"Bella, it's Jake. They have a donor for Christa! We're heading to the hospital if you want to meet us there," he smiled as he hung up. He was starting to worry this wouldn't happen. He knew the transplant surgery was extremely risky itself, but he prayed that after making it this far, things would work out for Christa.

They swung into a parking spot and Rachel hadn't even put the car into park before Jake hopped out and ran into the hospital.

One of the night nurses met him as soon as he pushed through the double doors. "Hi Mr. Black, we're going to be getting her prepped soon for surgery. It's really rare, but the donor organ is here. We don't have to wait for a transport. The transplant team is coming in and everyone is getting ready. Congratulations," she smiled at him.

"Can we go in and see her now?" he asked, unsure of what the procedure was for all of this.

"You can see her now, but you only have about 30 minutes," she said as she walked off.

Jacob looked at her parents, who were smiling joyfully at him. "Can I talk to her alone for a minute?" he requested.

"Of course, son," her father answered as they got up to walk out.

"Babe, keep fighting, okay. I know we're just starting the fight with this transplant," he said and kissed her forehead several times.

Family and friends took turns stepping in and saying words to Christa. Jacob kept watching the doors for Bella to show up. He hated to admit that he needed her there to lean on. This surgery was going to take a while and it would calm him to have her around.

Finally, Christa's team of transplant nurses came to wheel her off to surgery. They all followed her as far as they could and were left in a surgical waiting area.

Jacob sat surrounded by family and friends. As it was late, or early depending on how you looked at it, almost everyone had been in bed when the call came. He didn't talk, just sat contemplating everything.

He noticed it was about 6 a.m. and was surprised Bella hadn't even texted or called. He stepped to the side and left her another voicemail. Then he texted her just in case the voicemail system was working or something.

After what seemed like days of waiting, but was really a few more hours, one of Christa's surgeons came out to talk to them.

"The surgery went well. She seems to have accepted the new lungs, but we have her on anti-rejection medications. The machines are still breathing for her and will continue to do so for a few weeks as she heals. The state of her lungs before was not good at all. She really did not have much longer to live," he finished, giving Jacob a gentle pat on the upper arm.

"She's in recovery and will stay there awhile before she heads back to critical care," he said.

"Thank you all so much. I can't believe we found a local donor. I wish you could tell me who it was," Jacob said.

"I'm sorry. That's confidential, but know that someone was watching out for your wife today," were his parting words as he walked back behind the locked doors.

Hugs and tears went around the room. Jacob heard the door open again and he looked up hoping to see Bella come through. Instead, it was Janie.

"Janie, hi! Thanks for coming down," he smiled, wiping away the tears.

"Of course, Jacob. Christa means so much to all of us. We feel like we know her because of you," she smiled tightly and gave him a hug. He sensed there was more she wanted to say.

"Hey, I tried to call Bella a couple of times to let her know, but I can't seem to get a hold of her," he said.

He didn't mistake the tears that filled Janie's eyes immediately.

"Oh, of course no one would have told you. I'm sorry, Jacob, but Bella was in a car accident on her way home tonight," she said.

"Oh my gosh. Is she okay? Is she here at the hospital? I'd like to go see her and make sure she doesn't need anything. Did someone call her mom? You know, she doesn't have any faily in town," he responded in a rush.

Her breath snuffled and she looked to him, as dread filled his chest. He would have felt her if she was near. That feeling in his chest wasn't there at all.

Tears filled his eyes again. He asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to, "Janie, did Bella make it?"

She shook her head in the negative as her eyes spilled over with tears. Jacob was never more thankful for supernatural hearing as he was in the moment. Otherwise, he would've hit the floor hard when he fell. His brothers were there to catch him, and pulled him over to a chair.

Paul knew how much the nurse meant to his brother-in-law and he saw how she cared for him and his wife both. He felt sorry for her.

Jacob began sobbing fully as he realized the news. One life had to end for another life to continue. Bella's life had ended and Christa was again fighting for her life. Janie apologized for delivering bad news, but said she had wanted to see Jacob.

Rachel reassured her that it was okay and that Jake had been worried about his friend. She quietly left the waiting room, while everyone crowded around Jacob, supporting their brother and friend.

They stayed like that until Embry's stomach growled loudly. They all laughed and pulled apart. It was a nurse that came in and said that Christa would be moved back upstairs in about 20-30 minutes. She recommended they all go get some food and in a bit head back to the critical care unit.

Everybody stretched and walked slowly, but as a unit to the cafeteria. Jacob ate what he was forced to by Billy and Rachel. Bella's chiding of his health was the only thing running through his mind as he nibbled a banana. He sipped a little water, and drank a small cup of OJ.

Thirty one minutes later, Jacob was scrubbing in and covering himself to see Christa. Due to her new lungs, it was imperative to protect her from germs. He covered his clothes with the sterile gown and put on a mask. He almost slipped and fell with the fabric covering his shoes, but thanks to his wolf abilities, he caught himself.

He stood by Christa's bedside and stared down at his wife. He was so thankful for the gift of the donor lungs. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Babe, I told you it wasn't going to be good-bye and I meant it. Keep fighting. I love you and I always will," he put his forehead against hers and held it there for a minute. He glanced up to the window and could have sworn he saw a reflection of someone standing in the door. He whipped around to see it was empty and looked back at the window. Long brown hair caught his eye as the body seemed to walk away.

Jacob's breath caught as he thought about his imprint and how much he would miss her.

"Bella," he whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rated M

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

It was a few days later that all of the pack had made it in to visit Christa. She was still sedated and on the breathing machine. The doctors needed her to stay as relaxed as possible until the stitches healed and evidence of acceptance of the lungs was clear.

Her parents had agreed to stay with her for a few hours while Jacob and his friends had a dinner together at his house. In reality it was a pack meeting, and there was a lot to discuss.

Jacob sat on the couch and stared down at his clasped hands. All of the pack members either sat or stood around the room looking at him. When it was finally silent, Jacob looked up at each of them with tears in his eyes.

"I have to tell you something. I don't really know how, so I'm just going to come out with it," he started. "I imprinted."

The room exploded around him as questions and shock rang through each individual. Jacob cleared his throat, and the noise settled down quickly.

"There's more to it than that, so listen up before you say anything else," he warned. "I imprinted at the hospital on a nurse. Bella was my imprint. For those of you who may not know, she was in a car accident the night Christa had her transplant. I don't know and no one can confirm if she is Christa's donor. I don't know what happened. Bella and I had talked just before she left to go home. She knew of the legends and I confirmed their truth and explained the imprint to her. She said she didn't want to interfere in my marriage. Bella said she felt drawn to both me and Christa."

"Also, both of us had a dream that Christa came to us and talked about knowing of the imprint and giving her blessing. I don't understand what happened exactly. All I know is we got a call for a donor, and Bella passed away in a car accident," Jacob glanced around, eyes shining with unshed tears.

Noises and "oh my gods," flew out, but in a sense everyone was speechless. It was Billy who cleared the room.

"All right, you guys get going to dinner. Leave Jacob and I, please" he commanded gently.

Once the room was clear and cars left the area, Billy turned to look at Jacob. He had not moved from his spot on the couch.

"Are you okay, son?" Billy asked.

"Dad, I don't know how to discuss everything I'm feeling. I'm so relieved Christa got donor lungs. I'm terrified of the path to come as an organ recipient. She isn't out of the woods in the least. I don't understand the imprint, but Bella was such a nice person. She didn't have any friends or family here. I feel terrible, like I'm the only person that will remember her. I'm all mixed up inside," Jacob said, but looked to his dad for his sage advice.

"I'm very surprised you imprinted, Jake. In the known histories, none of the alphas have. I guess anything is possible. As to why Christa came to you, what all did she say? Our belief in spirits is strong, but I'm surprised Bella communicated with Christa. We'll keep hoping for Christa. We can only hope this was the way things were supposed to work out," Billy patted Jacob's hands.

"Christa said that she knew about the imprint and she wanted me to move on. She said my heart was her home. Then she told me to get a haircut," they both laughed. Jacob subconsciously ran his hands through his shaggy hair. "Then, she told Bella that I would need a friend and that I was going to need support after she was gone."

Jacob reached out and hugged his dad. Billy squeezed him back as much as he could. Billy patted Jacob's back and leaned back in his chair. "Hmm. Sounds like Christa was ready to let go, maybe.

"Right after that, all of the alarms went off. They revived her but that's when they said I needed to start making end of life decisions."

"Whatever happened and happens, I'm here for you. I love you."

"Thanks a lot, Dad. I love you, too," Jacob wiped his eyes and stood up. He walked into the kitchen and began preparing his dad and himself something to eat. Dinner preparation kept him occupied and he continued to be silent through dinner. After he ate, he headed back to the hospital.

Christa's parents left as soon as he got there and he sat down in the chair beside her bed. As always he talked to her and filled her in on who was there and what all had been going on.

"Babe, I don't understand at all what happened. I thought we lost you. I love you so much. Can you possibly understand how I feel about Bella's passing? The imprint might have brought us together, but she was my friend and support," he said, feeling all confused and mixed up.

Jacob leaned back and relaxed as much as he could. It wasn't long before he heard one of the nurses talking at the nurses' station.

"Hi, I'm Bella's mother, Renee. I had a few things I wanted to drop off," she said, sounding decidedly uncomfortable. Jacob stood and headed out the door to meet his imprint's mother. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he wanted to meet her.

"Hi, Renee?" he started tentatively. "This might sound odd, but your daughter was one of my wife's nurses. My name is Jacob Black." He reached out to shake her hand.

"Oh, Jacob. Hi. Bella told me about you and your wife. So nice to meet you. Do you have a few minutes? Could we go downstairs to the cafeteria? I can buy you a dessert or something?" she smiled a small smile.

"Sure, I'd like that," he said. He turned to the nurse that was caring for Christa tonight and said he'd be back soon.

She smiled and said if anything came up, she'd call.

Renee and Jacob walked down the hall to the elevator and stayed silent until they sat down with two plates of apple pie and 2 bottles of water.

Renee smiled, lost in thought, and then started to talk. "You know, I was really worried when she left like that from Florida. I was trying to convince her to move closer, so she'd have some family nearby. She told me that she really enjoyed this hospital and loved her job. She also said she might consider it one day. Then she told me all about this woman and her husband that she met. Bella couldn't explain what was so special about you guys. She'd said her heart really went out to you guys, and that surprisingly she wasn't an organ donor. But Christa's fight had inspired her, so she recently registered as an organ donor."

Renee reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of Bella. She held it up for Jacob to see and he pulled his closer to his face to examine it. Bella was dressed in a sky blue graduation gown and was obviously younger.

"Was this high school?" he asked.

"It sure was. She was a daddy's girl. I felt so sad after she lost him. I didn't know how to help her," Renee reached out and took the picture back before slipping it back into the envelope. "I was proud of her for finding a profession that she loved and was good at."

"She was an amazing friend and nurse. I am thankful how she treated my wife and supported me as well. I know it seems strange but I really cared about her. I'm truly sorry for your loss," he said, looking directly at Renee.

"I'm having a small memorial and burial this weekend. You are welcome to come. I understand if you can't get away from the hospital though," Renee offered. "It'll just be me and her stepdad, but we're having her buried by Charlie, her dad. I think it's where she'd want to be."

"It would mean a lot to me to be there. I'll give you my number, so you can call me with all of the details," Jacob said, grabbing for a napkin off the table. Renee reached into her purse for a pen so Jacob could write the number down. "Thanks a lot for dessert. I need to get going though."

That weekend, Jacob was found with his entire pack and their imprints at Bella's funeral. They all wanted to support their alpha in the loss of his imprint and friend. It was something they still didn't understand, but were doing their best to be sympathetic. Everyone was waiting for Christa to wake up, hoping that she would have some kind of explanation. It had seemed like Christa was not going to pull through and had resolved to passing on. Then suddenly things changed.

Renee had gasped when the group of men and women showed up together for Bella's funeral. They all followed behind Jacob, and all looked strikingly similar and very put together. Jacob walked right up to her and reached his hand out to shake her hand.

"Thanks for inviting us. My friends insisted on coming with me for support," Jacob nodded his head slightly in their direction. He looked around and noted that it really was only her mother and stepfather that were there. It was sad that if it weren't for him, her funeral would have gone by nearly unnoticed. A woman as kind and considerate as Bella should have a field full of friends here to celebrate her life.

They stood by solemnly as words were read by a minister and blessings were given over the casket. At the close of the ceremony, Renee and her husband had walked up to place flowers on top of the casket. Jacob's friends stayed back while he walked up and kneeled beside the casket. He placed his hand on the side and took a deep breath in attempt to keep himself together. There was no doubt his friends understood his sadness, but her mother might find it peculiar.

Silent tears streamed down his face. "Bella, I can never tell you how much I appreciated you being there for me. This journey still isn't over and I'll miss you. I wish you could have met Christa in person. I think you might've really liked each other-except for the whole imprinting on her husband thing," he chuckled.

"Thank you for everything," he said as he stood and walked over to Renee. He looked at her and held his arms out gesturing for a hug. She reached up and wrapped her arms around the large man. He patted her back gently and pulled back. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Oh wait, Jacob. I have something for you. I thought you might like to have a little something to hold onto," she reached out and handed him a small photo album. He thanked her and opened it glancing at the pictures inside. There were picture of Bella when she was younger, and her nursing school graduation, as well as a couple of her working at the hospital in her scrubs. Jacob placed it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

"Thanks a lot, really," he said, getting choked up.

The group turned and left together, driving in their cars to different locations. Some were headed back to their lives in La Push and some were going to stay around and help Jacob and JJ out. Rachel had been doing most of the house up keep with Brady and they wanted to give her a rest.

Jacob headed home to spend some time with JJ and tell him about mommy's new lungs. JJ asked him if he'd been at the hospital with mommy.

"No, buddy. Actually today Daddy and everybody except for Grandpa Billy and Sue went to a funeral for a nice lady from the hospital," he said.

"Daddy, what's that?" JJ asked.

"A funeral is a special ceremony when somebody goes to heaven. They gather to remember them," Jacob answered trying to keep it simple for his young son.

"Who was she?" he persisted.

"Her name was Bella Swan. You want to see a picture of her?" he reached into his jacket that was laying over the back of the couch and grabbed the album. He opened it and let JJ flip through.

"Was she your friend, Daddy?" he looked up with big eyes to his father.

"She was my friend. She was mommy's friend too," Jacob grabbed the album and flipped through looking through each picture carefully. "I will miss her."

* * *

**One chapter left. For those of you who have written anything I have reviewed, you know that I'm generally a BxJ fan. I'll venture out of my comfort zone occasionally. So, I understand how sad you were that Bella died. It felt forced to make Bella and Jacob suddenly be in this relationship after Christa dies. I know in reality it happens, but this is fiction. I love Bella. But overall, I'm Team Jacob. The way I see it, Bella had someone who would always remember her and let her memory live on; Jacob had someone who was able to support him when he felt so lonely and lost during his wife's ordeal.**

**Thanks for the kind words. You don't have to like this story. You also don't have to read it.**

One last throw out for tonyamic10-who gets my devotion without anything in return, check her out. You'll be happy you did.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rated M

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Thanks for reading. I still like the idea of a BxJ HEA, so that might be up next…

One year later…

Christa, Jacob and JJ walked together with 3 bouquets of bright cheery flowers. Jacob kept his pace slow so he did not wear Christa out. She had improved greatly since her lung transplant. However, Jacob's long strides would be two of Christa's much shorter ones, and if she had to try to keep up, she would be huffing and puffing.

When they reached their destination, JJ squealed with delight. "We're here! It's her spot, Mom and Dad. I think she would love the red and orange flowers I picked out."

Both parents smiled indulgently at their son. He was used to the monthly tradition of coming out to Bella and Charlie's grave sites. While they didn't know Charlie, they thought Bella would have liked someone leaving flowers at his grave stone. She had loved her dad so much.

"I'm sure she would have liked any flowers you chose for her, JJ," Christa said, gently, ruffling her son's hair.

"Tell me the story again, Mommy! Tell me the story about how you and Bella became friends," JJ enthused.

Christa smiled and sat down on the lush green grass. Amazingly, this month the sun was shining and the ground wasn't soaking wet. She ran her fingers through the grass remembering the unique experience she had on the night she died, and then was given the gift of life. Her son always got the young man's version of the story told in simple language so as not to frighten him or confuse him about death.

Christa can remember feeling that she was at the end of her fight. She was sedated and slept most of the time, but her conscious thought came in and out. She didn't feel like she could hang on anymore for Jake, as much as she deeply loved her husband. Exhausted wasn't a strong enough word to describe how she felt.

She could remember being out in a beautiful grassy field, kind of like the pretty green grass she was sitting in right now. A young woman with long, wavy brown hair and bright brown eyes approached her. When she spoke, Christa recognized her voice as one of the nurses that talked to her while she took care of her in the hospital.

"Hi, are you Bella?" she asked hesitantly.

The young woman smiled beautifully. "I am. You are obviously Christa. But you look so different all rosy, and, well machine-less." They both laughed at her lack of vocabulary.

"I wonder why we're both here…" Bella said, looking around her.

"Well, I need to give you a message about my husband, Jake. I need you to take care of him. It's important to me. He's a great man and I know he will take my loss hard. He's fought hard for me and he doesn't want to give up. I think I would've given up a long time ago without him by my side," Christa said, as she ran her toes through the grass, enjoying the soft feel.

"Um. Wow. Well, I'm sure he has a lot of support at home, where you guys came from-La Push," Bella said, sounding unsure.

"He does. But you're special. He'll need them, but he'll need you," Christa looked over her shoulder. "I've got to go now."

It wasn't the last meeting Christa and Bella had though. Christa reached out and wiped away the dirt that accumulated on the headstone and pulled a couple of weeds that were popping up. Her mind wandered to the last conversation they had.

"Christa? Why are we meeting again?" Bella asked, looking around at her surroundings. She was in the hospital, but she felt sluggish and tired.

"I don't know Bella. I think it's my time. Remember what I asked you? Please promise me you will take care of Jake and JJ," Christa pleaded with her.

Bella had tears racing down her face. She couldn't remember what was going on. She didn't remember getting back home and going to sleep.

"No, Christa. I can't promise that. I know I'm Jacob's imprint. He told me about it tonight. But, you're his wife. You need to stay for him, you need to keep fighting. He wants you to keep fighting. It isn't he and I that are meant to be," Bella turned over her shoulder as if someone had called her name.

"Christa, my dad's waiting for me. I'll be okay. I'll always be part of you. Please tell Jake his friendship meant the world to me and I'm sorry that I can't be there for him anymore. You promise me that you'll keep fighting, that you'll take care of him and JJ for me," Bella said as she wiped her eyes and walked toward Christa.

"You're right. He is an amazing man. But I'm not supposed to be the one he spends his life with-it's you," Bella finished as she reached out and hugged Christa. "I've got to go now." Bella turned and was gone.

Christa shook her head and looked down at JJ. He was waiting patiently for her to begin her story about Bella at the hospital. JJ couldn't believe that his momma had met an angel that gave her her special lungs. Christa told her kid-friendly story to her son.

When she finished she opened her bouquet of flowers and split it between the vases at Charlie and Bella's headstones. Then she stood and looked at Jake, her life and love.

"I love you, Jake," she whispered to him.

He wrapped his warm arms around her and rubbed his nose against the top of her head. He loved her smell-it was a little different after her transplant. It was still mostly her, but there was also a hint of Bella. They had the most unique story that would never find its way into the tribe's histories or journals. He would forever be grateful for Bella and her friendship during a trying time of his life. There would never be words for her gift of life. While the hospital couldn't confirm the donor of Christa's lungs, Christa and Jacob knew without a shadow of a doubt that the donor was Bella.

Christa kept her promise to Bella and she took care of both her guys, and lived every day like it was her last. They also had some of Bella's pictures around the house to remind them of a great friend and caretaker.

As the little family walked back into their Seattle home, Jacob glanced around at the packed boxes. They would finally be heading back to La Push and their family's home. It wasn't long before Sunshine came barreling around the corner and began licking JJ's face. They had adopted Bella's dog after her accident. Renee didn't want to transport the St. Bernard back to Florida. The heat would be awful for the dog, she had said. Jacob patted the dog's head before sitting down at the kitchen table.

He looked over at his wife, who stood leaning against the door watching him. He grinned at her and motioned for her to come sit on his leg. His arms wrapped around her waist automatically. "I love you, babe. I always have and I always will. I miss her and I miss her friendship. Thanks for always going with me to visit. It'll be harder once we're back in La Push. I hope she knows that no one has forgotten her."

"Jake, I will always be here for you and I will always be grateful for everything she did for our family," Christa said before she leaned down and kissed Jacob's face before ending on his lips.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading to the end! This story swirled off on its own. I set out to write a bxj hea...but Christa wasn't going to give up the fight!**


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